Snow blower



E. A. SIMI SNOW BLOWER May 24, 1966 Filed July 19, 1963 INVENTOR. EDWARD ASu u ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,252,233 SNOW BLOWER Edward A. Simi, Milwaukee, Wis., assignor to Douglas Motors Corporation, Milwaukee, Wis., a corporation of Wisconsin Filed July 19, 1963, Ser. No. 296,220 4 Claims. (Cl. 37-43) This invention pertains to improvements in snow blowers of the type adapted to be mounted on the front end of a vehicle and employing conveyor flights to chew into the snow and feed the snow to a centrifugal blower which propels the snow through a discharge chute.

The principal object of this invention is to improve the efliciency of the blower.

This object is attained by two features. The first feature comprises a blower having a first set of blower blades each of which are fed by a different conveyor flight and a second set of blower blades of somewhat greater width than those of the first set and which are used for the purpose of picking up the snow passed by the narrower blades and also for the purpose of increasing the air velocity through the discharge chute. ture comprises the provision of rearwardly curved blower tips when viewed in relation to the direction of rotation of the blower. The importance of this feature is in particular appreciated when the blower is used to remove or clear relatively wet snow. Most snow blowers known heretofore employ straight blower blades and thereby tend to throw the snow upwardly and forwardly in the discharge chute. If dry snow is being removed, the straight blades create no problem other than the expected small loss of effective velocity, but whenhandling wet snow, the straight blades cause the snow to be thrown against and to pack on the front wall of the discharge chute and thereby seriously impair or even stop the operation of the blower. The rearward curve of the blades, as contemplated in this invention, overcomes this problem. Further, the general tendency for wet snow to pack in other parts of the discharge chute is materially reduced by the increased air velocity produced by the aforementioned second set of blower blades.

Therefore, a further object of this invention is to provide a snow blower of a design that will materially reduce or completely eliminate the snow build up or packing problems encountered heretofore when removing relatively wet snow.

Other objects and advantages will be pointed out in or be apparent from the specification and claims, as will obvious modifications of the single embodiment shown in the drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a front plan view of the snow blower embodying the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a top view thereof with the curved chute portion being removed;

FIG. 3 is a view taken on line 3-3 of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is a top view of the blower blades and a fractional view of the shaft to which they are secured.

Referring to the drawings, the snow blower embodying the present invention is comprised of a centrifugal blower 10 which is mounted in a housing 12 and to which snow is fed by conveyors 14 for discharge through discharge chute 16.

The housing 12 is of an open half-cylinder design having a curved shell 18 with its lower edge angled downwardly to form a straight scraping lip 20 and with its upper edge 22 curved backwardly to thereby aid in directing the snow to be removed into the shell. The shell is reinforced by longitudinally extending angle irons 24 and curved ribs 26. The shell is provided with two pairs of ears 28 which receive hitch members 30 and pins 32' The second feato thereby permit pivotal mounting of the snow blower to the front end of a vehicle.

' The discharge chute 16 is provided in the center of the shell 18 and is comprised of a vertically extending lower chute portion 36 and a curved chute portion 38 pivotally mounted thereon and adapted to be locked into two or more angular positions to thereby perm-it the discharge of snow to any particular location. Flanges 40 and 42 and meansfor locking them (not shown) are provided for this purpose. 7

The centrifugal blower 10 is positioned below the discharge chute 16 and has snow receiving blades 44 and somewhat wider auxiliary blades 46, all of which are secured to the shaft 48 which is rotatably mounted by bearings 50 in the end plates 52 of housing 12. Blades 44 and 46 are provided with tips 54 having rearwardly curvedend portions 56, the direction of curvature being made in relation to the direction of rotation of the shaft 48. This rearward curve eliminates the packing of snow on the front wall 58 of the discharge chute when the snow blower is used on relatively wet snow. The tips may be made integral with the blades or may be separate and attached thereto by welding or other means. The shaft is adapted to be rotated with the power of the vehicle on which the snow blower is mounted and thus is provided with suitable connecting means 62. The latter is shown schematically since several means for accomplishing this purpose are well known in the art. In the alternative the snow blower could be equipped with a separate motor for driving shaft 48.

Right-hand and left-hand helically formed conveyor flights 64 and'66 respectively are provided on each side of the centrifugal blower 10 and are secured to the shaft 48 by ribs 68. This construction provides hollow flights for the conveyors I14 and in particular permits a relatively easy and inexpensive manufacture of the conveyors. As best seen from FIG. 3, each of the four conveyor flights is connected to a different snow receiving blade 44.

A splitter 70 having a V-shaped front wall 72 and an arcuate inside wall 74 is mounted on the shell 18 and in combination therewith provides a blower housing for the centrifugal blower 10. Further, the splitter serves to divide the snow in front of the blower and to cause it to move into the conveyors 14 as the snow blower is advanced.

In operation, the snow blower is advanced over a snow covered surface and the shaft 48 is rotated in a counterclockwise direction (when viewed in FIG. 3). The scraping lip 20 and splitter 70 guide the snow into the conveyors 14 which in turn move the snow towards the centrally located centrifugal blower 10. By virtue of the connection between the snow receiving blades 44 and the conveyor flights, each of the flights feeds a different blade 44 of the centrifiugal blower. The snow is then propelled upwardly by blades 44 and auxiliary blades 46, whereby the latter pick up any snow which is passed up or which falls off the narrower snow receiving blades 44 and also increase the air and snow velocity through the discharge chute 36. The direction of the snow passing through chute portion 36 is substantially vertical because of the curvature of the tipends 56, and thus, the snow is not thrown against the front wall 53 but is permitted to gradually change its direction in the curved Q ifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention or from the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A snow blower of the type adapted to be mounted on a vehicle and powered by a motor, comprising in combination:

a housing having an open front;

a discharge chute located generally equidistantly between the ends of said housing and having a generally vertically extending portion in direct communication with the inside of said housing and a curved portion mounted on said vertically eXtending portion;

a shaft rotatably carried by said housing and adapted to be rotated by the motor, said shaft carrying a first and second set of blower blades directly below said chute;

a splitter mounted on said housing and closing a portion of said open front to define with said housing a blower housing for said two sets of blades;

strip like right-hand and left-hand helicalconveyor flights mounted on said shaft and on each side of said sets of blower blades, said flights being in spaced relationship in respect to said shaft, each of said flights being connected to a different one of the blades of said first set, the blades of both of said sets having tip portions curved backwardly in respect to the operable direction of said shaft to thereby provide a substantially vertical trajectory of travel of the snow propelled through said discharge chute; and the blades of said second set being of greater width than the blades of said first set.

chute a shaft rotatably carried within said housing and adapted to be rotated by the motor of the snow blower;

a .centrifugal blower contained in said housing and having a first set of blower blades and a second set of blower blades, both sets being secured to said shaft and each blade of said second set being posi-.

tioned between two blades of said first set;

wall means mounted on said housing and closing a portion of said open front section to define with said housing a blower housing for said two sets of blades;

flights secured to said shaft and in spaced relationship in respect to said shaft, to provide a central space between said flights and said shaft which space is in communication with said blower housing and permits movement of snow therethrough to blower housing, each of said flights terminating at a different one of the blades of said first set to thereby render each of said flights operable to feed a different one of the blades of said first set upon rotation of said shaft, the blower blades of both of said sets having faces which extend generally radially outwardly from said shaft and which have a portion projecting further towards said shaft than said strip-like conveyor flights, said two sets of blades cooperating with said conveyor flights to increase the air and snow discharge velocity.

3. A motor driven snow blower according to claim 2 wherein the blades of said second set are wider than the blades of said first set.

4. A motor driven snow blower according to claim 2 wherein said centrifugal blower is located generally equal distantly between the ends of said shaft, and wherein said first set of blower blades and said plurality of striplike conveyor flights are comprised of four blades and four flights respectively with two flights 'being secured to said shaft on one side of said blower and the two other flights bein secured to said shaft on the other side of said blower.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,433,188 10/1922 Day 37-43 2,083,996 6/1937 Jonn. 2,200,623 5/ 1940 James 3743 2,224,870 12/1940 Jensen 3743 2,642,680 6/1953 Curtis 37--53 X 2,735,199 2/1956 Wanner 37-43 2,882,620 4/1959 MacDonald 37-43 FOREIGN PATENTS 185,836 6/1956 Austria. 550,806 7 12/1957 Canada.

ABRAHAM G. STONE, Primary Examiner.

BENJAMIN HERSH, W. B. STONE, F. B. HENRY,

Assistant Examiners. 

1. A SNOW BLOWER OF THE TYPE ADAPTED TO BE MOUNTED ON A VEHICLE AND POWERED BY A MOTOR, COMPRISING IN COMBINATION: A HOUSING HAVING AN OPEN FRONT; A DISCHARGE CHUTE LOCATED GENERALLY EQUIDISTANTLY BETWEEN THE ENDS OF SAID HOUSING AND HAVING A GENERALLY VERTICALLY EXTENDING PORTION IN DIRECT COMMUNICATION WITH THE INSIDE OF SAID HOUSING AND A CURVED PORTION MOUNTED ON SAID VERTICALLY EXTENDING PORTION; A SHAFT ROTATABLY CARRIED BY SAID HOUSING AND ADAPTED TO BE ROTATED BY THE MOTOR, SAID SHAFT CARRYING A FIRST AND SECOND SET OF BLOWER BLADES DIRECTLY BELOW SAID CHUTE; A SPLITTER MOUNTED ON SAID HOUSING AND CLOSING A PORTION OF SAID OPEN FRONT TO DEFINE WITH SAID HOUSING A BLOWER HOUSING FOR SAID TWO SETS OF BLADES; STRIP LIKE RIGHT-HAND AND LEFT-HAND HELICAL CONVEYOR FLIGHTS MOUNTED ON SAID SHAFT AND ON EACH SIDE OF SAID SETS OF BLOWER BLADES, SAID FLIGHTS BEING IN SPACED RELATIONSHIP IN RESPECT TO SAID SHAFT, EACH OF SAID FLIGHTS BEING CONNECTED TO A DIFFERENT ONE OF THE BLADES OF SAID FIRST SET, THE BLADES OF BOTH OF SAID SETS HAVING TIP PORTIONS CURVED BACKWARDLY IN RESPECT TO THE OPERABLE DIRECTION OF SAID SHAFT TO THEREBY PROVIDE A SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICAL TRAJECTORY OF TRAVEL OF THE SNOW PROPELLED THROUGH SAID DISCHARGE CHUTE; AND THE BLADES OF SAID SECOND SET BEING OF GREATER WIDTH THAN THE BLADES OF SAID FIRST SET. 